12th Helpmann Awards

{{Infobox award

| name = 12th Helpmann Awards

| image = Anita_Louise_Combe_(8019198777).jpg

| caption = Anita Louise Combe at the Helpmann Awards, 2012

| date = 24 September 2012

| location = Sydney Opera House,
Sydney, New South Wales

| host = Simon Burke

| network = STUDIO

| ratings =

| previous = 11th

| main = Helpmann Awards

| next = 13th

}}

The 12th Annual Helpmann Awards was held on 24 September 2012 at the Sydney Opera House, in Sydney, New South Wales.{{cite news|url=http://www.helpmannawards.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=425|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205053836/http://www.helpmannawards.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=425|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 February 2012|title=Save the date|author=Staff|date=15 December 2011|accessdate=29 April 2012|work=Helpmann Awards|publisher=Live Performance Australia}} Administered by Live Performance Australia (LPA), accolades were presented for achievements in disciplines of Australia's live performance sectors, for productions during the season between 1 March 2011 – 31 May 2012.{{cite news|url=http://www.helpmannawards.com.au/default.aspx?s=important_dates|title=Important dates|accessdate=29 April 2012|work=Helpmann Awards|publisher=Live Performance Australia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414214548/http://www.helpmannawards.com.au/default.aspx?s=important_dates|archive-date=14 April 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

Awards were handed out in forty-two categories for achievements in theatre, musicals, opera, ballet, dance and concerts.{{cite news|url=http://www.helpmannawards.com.au/default.aspx?s=award_categories|title=Award Categories|accessdate=29 April 2012|work=Helpmann Awards|publisher=Live Performance Australia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414214542/http://www.helpmannawards.com.au/default.aspx?s=award_categories|archive-date=14 April 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

With the 2012 edition, LPA established the Helpmann Awards Travel Fund which seeks to provide a greater opportunity for productions outside of Melbourne and Sydney to become Nominated for an Award. The Fund provides travel assistance to members of the voting panel, allowing them to attend productions outside of their home states.{{cite news|url=http://www.helpmannawards.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=430|title=Helpmann Awards travel fund announced|author=Staff|date=12 March 2012|accessdate=29 April 2012|work=Helpmann Awards|publisher=Live Performance Australia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414223407/http://helpmannawards.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=430|archive-date=14 April 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

Schedule

Source:

class="wikitable"

!Date

!Deadline

Monday, 13 August 2012

| Helpmann Awards nomination announcement and media launch

Monday, 24 September 2012

| 12th Annual Helpmann Awards ceremony at the Sydney Opera House

Winners and nominees

In the following tables, winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

= Theatre =

class=wikitable width="80%" border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" align="centre"

style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Play

! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Direction of a Play

valign="top" |

Ganesh Versus the Third Reich – Back to Back Theatre, Malthouse Theatre and Melbourne Festival
Neighbourhood Watch – Belvoir
The Boys – Griffin Theatre Company in association with Sydney Festival
The Importance of Being Earnest – Melbourne Theatre Company

| valign="top" |

Benedict Andrews – Gross und Klein (Big and Small) (Sydney Theatre Company)
Rachael Maza Long – Jack Charles V The Crown (ILBIJERRI Theatre Company)
Simon Phillips – Songs For Nobodies (Melbourne Theatre Company in association with Duet)
Sam Strong – The Boys

style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Female Actor in a Play

! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Male Actor in a Play

valign="top" |

Cate Blanchett – Gross und Klein (Big and Small)
Robyn Nevin – Neighbourhood Watch
Bernadette Robinson – Songs For Nobodies
Helen Thomson – Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (Belvoir)

| valign="top" |

Paul Capsis – Angela's Kitchen (Griffin Theatre Company)
Bille Brown – The Histrionic (Malthouse Theatre & Sydney Theatre Company)
Jack Charles – Jack Charles V The Crown
Colin Friels – Red (Melbourne Theatre Company)

style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play

! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play

valign="top" |

Robyn Nevin – Summer of the Seventeenth Doll
Justine Clarke – Les liaisons dangereuses (Sydney Theatre Company)
Kris McQuade – Neighbourhood Watch
Miranda Otto – The White Guard (Sydney Theatre Company)

| valign="top" |

Bob Hornery – The Importance of Being Earnest (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Patrick Brammall – Clybourne Park (Melbourne Theatre Company)
Alex Menglet – Julius Caesar (Bell Shakespeare)
Trevor Stuart – As You Like It (La Boite Theatre Company)

=Musicals=

class=wikitable width="80%" border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" align="centre"

colspan=2 style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Musical

colspan=2 valign="top" |

A Chorus Line – Tim Lawson in association with the Adelaide Festival Centre
An Officer and a Gentleman – Sharleen Cooper Cohen & John Frost
Rock of Ages – Rodney Rigby{{ref label|RockProducingCredit|A

}

Grey Gardens – The Production Company

! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Direction of a Musical

! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Choreography in a Musical

| valign="top" |

Roger Hodgman – Grey Gardens
Michael Bennett – A Chorus Line
Kristin Hanggi – Rock of Ages
Simon Phillips – An Officer and a Gentleman

| valign="top" |

Kelly Devine – Rock of Ages
Kelly Aykers – Annie (John Frost, Power Arts, QPAC and Two Left Feet Productions)
Michael Bennett – A Chorus Line
Andrew Hallsworth – An Officer and a Gentleman

! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Female Actor in a Musical

! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Male Actor in a Musical

| valign="top" |

Pamela Rabe – Grey Gardens
Anita Louise Combe – A Chorus Line
Amanda Harrison – An Officer and a Gentleman
Amy Lehpamer – Rock of Ages

| valign="top" |

Mitchell Butel – The Mikado (Opera Australia)
Trevor Ashley – Fat Swan (Showqueen Productions)
Justin Burford – Rock of Ages
Anthony Warlow – Annie

! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical

! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical

| valign="top" |

Bert LaBonte – An Officer and a Gentleman
Euan Doidge – A Chorus Line
Brent Hill – Rock of Ages
Todd McKenney – Annie

=Opera=

class=wikitable width="80%" border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" align="centre"

style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Opera

! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Direction of an Opera

valign="top" |

Moby-Dick – State Opera of South Australia
The Barbarians – MONA FOMA and IHOS Opera
The Rake's Progress – Victorian Opera
Elektra – West Australian Opera, ThinIce, Perth International Arts Festival and Opera Australia

| valign="top" |

Leonard Foglia – Moby-Dick
Bruce Beresford – Of Mice and Men (Opera Australia)
Matthew Lutton – Elektra
Francesca Zambello – La Traviata - Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour (Opera Australia)

style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Female Performer in an Opera

! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Male Performer in an Opera

valign="top" |

Emma Matthews – La Traviata - Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour
Rachelle Durkin – The Tales of Hoffmann (West Australian Opera)
Susan Foster – Turandot (Opera Australia)
Eva Johansson – Elektra

| valign="top" |

Anthony Dean Griffey – Of Mice and Men
Jay Hunter Morris – Moby-Dick
Rosario La Spina – Turandot
Gianluca Terranova – La Traviata - Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour

style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera

! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" | Best Male Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera

valign="top" |

Orla Boylan – Elektra
Lorina Gore – Moby-Dick
Suzanne Johnston – Albert Herring (Victorian Opera)
Dominica Matthews – The Marriage of Figaro (Opera Australia)

| valign="top" |

Grant Doyle – Moby-Dick
James Clayton – The Tales of Hoffmann
Conal Coad – The Marriage of Figaro
Douglas McNicol – The Girl of the Golden West (Opera Queensland)

=Dance and Physical Theatre=

style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Ballet or Dance Work ! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Visual or Physical Theatre Production
class=wikitable width="80%" border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" align="centre"
valign="top" \| Can We Talk About This? – DV8 Theatre and Sydney Opera House, co-produced by Theatre de la Ville and Festival d'Automne Paris, National Theatre of Great Britain and Dansens Hus Stockholm Aviary: A Suite for the Bird – Phillip Adams BalletLab in Melbourne Festival Mass – Dancenorth Anatomy of an Afternoon – Martin del Amo, Performing Lines and Sydney Festival \| valign="top" \| Circa – Circa Raoul – La Compagnie du Hanneton presented by Perth International Arts Festival The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer by Tim Watts – Perth Theatre Company presents a Weeping Spoon production The Man the Sea Saw by Wolfe Bowart – SpoonTree Productions
colspan="2" style="background:#C4C3D0;" \| Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work
colspan=2 valign="top" \| *Stephen Page – ID from Belong* (Bangarra Dance Theatre)** Phillip Adams – Aviary: A Suite for the Bird Danielle Micich – Driving into Walls Lloyd Newson – Can We Talk About This?
style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Male Dancer in a Ballet or Dance Work ! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Female Dancer in a Ballet or Dance Work
valign="top" \| Paul White – Anatomy of an Afternoon Waangenga Blanco – Belong (Bangarra Dance Theatre) Daryl Brandwood – HELIX (The HELIX Project) Chen Wen – 2 One Another (Sydney Dance Company) \| valign="top" \| *Charmene Yap – 2 One Another* (Sydney Dance Company)** Kirstie McCracken – Double Think (Force Majeure and Arts House in association with Melbourne Festival) Tara Soh – Proximity (Australian Dance Theatre) Brooke Stamp – Aviary: A Suite for the Bird

=Classical music=

style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Symphony Orchestra Concert ! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Chamber and Instrumental Ensemble Concert
class=wikitable width="80%" border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" align="centre"
valign="top" \| Evgeny Kissin Plays Chopin – Sydney Symphony Orchestra Master 3, Fire Music – Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Schubert's Great C Major: Signature Sound – Sydney Symphony Orchestra Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony – Australian Chamber Orchestra \| valign="top" \| Tafelmusik - 'The Galileo Project: Music of the Spheres' – Musica Viva Australia KURSK: An Oratorio Requiem – Melbourne Festival and Melbourne Recital Centre Syzygy Ensemble – Black Angels – Melbourne Recital Centre & Syzygy Ensemble Evgeny Kissin – Sydney Symphony & Brisbane Festival
colspan="2" style="background:#C4C3D0;" \| Best Individual Classical Performance
colspan=2 valign="top" \| Evgeny Kissin (Sydney Symphony and Brisbane Festival) Matthias Goerne – Die Winterreise (Melbourne Recital Centre) Susan Graham – The Tempest (Melbourne Recital Centre and Sydney Opera House) Anne-Sophie Mutter – Beethoven with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (Sydney Symphony)

=Contemporary Music=

style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best International Contemporary Concert ! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Australian Contemporary Concert
class=wikitable width="80%" border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" align="centre"
valign="top" \| Prince – Prince Welcome 2 Australia Foo Fighters – Foo Fighters with special guests Tenacious D Stadium Tour 2011 Roger Waters – Roger Waters' The Wall Live Sade – Sade Live \| valign="top" \| Kylie Minogue – Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour Cold Chisel – Light the Nitro Tour Keith Urban – Get Closer 2011 World Tour Kylie Minogue – Anti Tour
colspan=2 style="background:#C4C3D0;" \| Best Contemporary Music Festival
colspan=2 valign="top" \| MONA FOMA Future Music Festival (Australian tour) The 23rd Annual Bluesfest Byron Bay Vivid Live 2011 curated by Stephen Pavlovic

=Other=

style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Presentation for Children ! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Regional Touring Production
class=wikitable width="80%" border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" align="centre"
valign="top" \| Boats – Terrapin Puppet Theatre White – Arts Centre Melbourne, Sydney Opera House, Adelaide Festival Centre, Windmill Theatre Company and Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre The Red Tree – Barking Gecko Theatre Company and Perth International Arts Festival Statespeare – shake & stir theatre co \| valign="top" \| Namatjira – Big hART Julius Caesar – Bell Shakespeare Africa – My Darling Patricia, Marguerite Pepper Productions, Performing Lines Rainbow's End – Riverside Productions
style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Cabaret Performer ! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Comedy Performer
valign="top" \| *Meow Meow – Little Match Girl* (Malthouse Theatre in association with Meow Meow Revolution)** Trevor Ashley – Diamonds are for Trevor (Showqueen Productions, Luckiest Productions and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras) Moira Finucane, with Rhonda Burchmore, Deborah Conway, Die Roten Punkte, Pamela Rabe, Phillip Adams' BalletLab, Meow Meow, Vika and Linda Bull, Kamahi Djordon King as Constantina Bush & The Bushettes, Sosina Wogayehu and Burlesque Hour artistes Maude Davey, Holly Durant and Harriet Ritchie – Finucane & Smith's Burlesque Hour LOVES Melbourne (Finucane & Smith, fortyfivedownstairs, Auspicious Arts) Caroline Nin – Caroline Nin - Hymne A Piaf (Melbourne Recital Centre) \| valign="top" \| *Tim Minchin – Tim Minchin vs The Orchestras Round II* (Fox in the Snow)** Wil Anderson – Wilarious (Token Events) Judith Lucy – Nothing Fancy (Token Events) Sam Simmons – About The Weather (Token Events)
colspan=2 style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Special Event
colspan=2 valign="top" \| La traviata - Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour – Opera Australia Place Des Anges by Les Studios De Cirque – Perth International Arts Festival

=Industry=

colspan=2 style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best New Australian Work
class=wikitable width="80%" border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" align="centre"
colspan=2 valign="top" \| Paul Capsis, Julian Meyrick & Hilary Bell – Angela's Kitchen David Chisholm – Kursk: An Oratorio Requiem Mark Deans, Marcia Ferguson, Bruce Gladwin, Nicki Holland, Simon Laherty, Sarah Mainwaring, Scott Price, Kate Sulan, Brian Tilley & David Woods – Ganesh Versus the Third Reich Elena Kats-Chernin – Symphonia Eluvium Joanna Murray-Smith – Songs For Nobodies
style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Original Score ! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Musical Direction
valign="top" \| David Page and *Steve Francis – Belong* (Bangarra Dance Theatre)** Clint Bracknell, David Salvaire and Dylan Hooper – The Red Tree Jake Heggie – Moby-Dick Alan John – The White Guard \| valign="top" \| Iain Grandage – Little Match Girl Ian McDonald – Songs For Nobodies Richard Mills – Elektra Timothy Sexton – Moby-Dick
style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Costume Design ! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Scenic Design
valign="top" \| Toni Matičevski and Richard Nylon – Aviary: A Suite for the Bird Laurel Frank – Steampowered (Circus Oz) Akira Isogawa – Romeo and Juliet (The Australian Ballet) Tony Tripp and Tracy Grant Lord – The Importance of Being Earnest \| valign="top" \| *Brian Thomson – La traviata* - Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour** Robert Brill – Moby-Dick Gypsy Taylor – The Red Tree Tony Tripp and Richard Roberts – The Importance of Being Earnest
style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Lighting Design ! style="background:#C4C3D0;width:50%" \| Best Sound Design
valign="top" \| Paul Jackson – Little Match Girl Paul Jackson – Elektra Matthew Marshall – The Red Tree Nick Schlieper – Gross und Klein (Big and Small) \| valign="top" \| *Tony David Cray – La traviata* - Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour** Gareth Fry – Kevin Spacey: Richard III (THE BRIDGE PROJECT, produced by The Old Vic, BAM & Neal Street, Australian Season presented by Andrew Kay & Liza McLean) Peter Hylenski – Dreamworks How To Train Your Dragon Arena Spectacular (DreamWorks Animation and Global Creatures) Bryan Worthen – Foo Fighters with special guests Tenacious D Stadium Tour 2011 (Foo Fighters and The Frontier Touring Company)

Special awards

The JC Williamson Award, a lifetime achievement award, was awarded to the late Indigenous Australian musician Jimmy Little (1 March 1937 – 2 April 2012) and Katharine Brisbane, a theatre journalist and publisher.{{cite news | title=Jimmy Little farewelled at Opera House|date=3 May 2012 | work=Herald Sun | url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/music/jimmy-little-farewelled-at-opera-house/story-e6frf9hf-1226345812977 |last=Staff reporter | accessdate=6 July 2012}}{{cite news |title=Lifetime award for visionary Brisbane |date=8 August 2012 |work=The West Australian |publisher=West Australian Newspapers Limited (Seven West Media) |url=http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/-/arts/14494460/lifetime-award-for-visionary-brisbane/ |first=Stephen |last=Bevis |accessdate=27 June 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130628040651/http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/-/arts/14494460/lifetime-award-for-visionary-brisbane/ |archive-date=28 June 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }} The Brian Stacey Award, for emerging conductors of live theatre, opera and ballet, was given to Daniel Carter.{{cite news|title=Victorian Opera on fresh turf |date=10 August 2012 |work=Herald Sun |publisher=The Herald and Weekly Times (News Corporation) |url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/arts/victorian-opera-on-fresh-turf/story-fn7euh6j-1226447427024 |first=Sally |last=Bennett |accessdate=27 June 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308034851/http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/arts/victorian-opera-on-fresh-turf/story-fn7euh6j-1226447427024 |archivedate=8 March 2016 |url-status=live |df=dmy }}

Notes

:A{{note|RockProducingCredit}}: The full producing credit for Rock of Ages is Rodney Rigby, Michael Cohl, Reagan Silber, Peter Gordon, Barry Habib, Matthew Weaver, Scott Prisand, Carl Levin, Jeff Davis, S2BN Entertainment in association with Janet Billing Rich, Sar Mercer, Michael Minarik, Mariano Tolentino and Hilary Weaver.